US President Donald Trump-appointed board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday (local time) voted to restore his name to the building.
The board also voted to partially close the center for roughly two years during renovations, Reuters reported, citing Democrat Joyce Beatty, who sued the Trump administration over what she called an unlawful name change and the planned closure.
Kennedy Center's board to restore Trump's name: What we know
According to NBC News, the decision was taken during an almost two-hour Zoom meeting, in which the board voted 20-3 to change the building's name and rename its physical site, as proposed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Beatty, who was also an ex officio member of the Center's board, said, "In its meeting today, the board voted to change the front of the building’s facade to read 'The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,' and renamed the physical site 'the President Donald J. Trump Plaza.'"
Beatty further said, "This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed," adding, "I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.”
Earlier on Thursday, The New York Times reported that the board approved a resolution "that the center desires to recognize and honor President Trump’s existential and unprecedented contributions to the survival of the center by all legal means."
Kennedy Center rename controversy: All you need to know
In December last year, the Trump administration added the US President's name to the Kennedy Center's facade. However, days later, Trump was sued for adding his name without congressional approval. Beatty, the Ohio Democrat, accused Trump and his appointees of flouting the law to satisfy his "vanity."
In May 2026, a district judge ordered the removal of Trump's name, ruling that the Washington venue cannot be renamed without approval from Congress. In the ruling, District Judge Christopher Cooper said, "The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so."
Cooper also noted that the board has "wide discretion" to make decisions regarding the Kennedy Center's operations, including potentially shutting it down for renovations after a valid vote.
Following the ruling in May, Trump slammed the verdict and hit out at the federal judge, branding Cooper as "an anti-Trump hater." In a Truth Social post, Trump fumed over the ruling and expressed anger over the setback, stating that it was "impossible for me to be treated fairly."
Last month, a federal appeals court denied the Trump administration's request to keep the US President's name on the building as it sought to restore it through the courts. The administration had argued that removing Trump's name could hurt fundraising and worsen the center's finances.
The decision to add Trump's name to the building and close it for almost two years has sparked outrage from the critics and members of the Kennedy family alike.
